Sugar-evaporating plant



Nov. 4 1924. ,514,482

M. TERAN L., ET AL SUGAR EVAPORATING PLANT Filed Dec. 27. 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 WiWi/598156*D MA. W. @Y d ,WUR/vm Nov. 4 1924.

M. TERAN L., ET Al.

SUGAR EVAPORATING PLANT v Filed Dec. 27, 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEYS Ha/MW.

Patented Nov. 4, 1924.

UNITED lSTATES PATENT OFFICE- MARIO TEEAN L. AND MANUEL MARIA TERAN L., oE VALERA, VENEZUELA.

SUGAR-EVAPORATING PLANT.

Applca'tionvled December 27, 1920. Serial No. 433,411.1.y

10 all u2/tom. t may concern.'

Be it known that we, MARIO TERN L. and MANUEL MARIA TERN L., citizens of Venezuela, and residents of Valera, Venezuela, have invented a new andV Improved Sugar-Evaporating Plant, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates toy an apparatus for treating sugar, and has particular reference to an evapora-ting plant for the treatment of sugar juices.

An object of the invention resides in the provision of means whereby the handling of the sugar juices in the various stages of their evaporation is substantially simplified and expedited. t

Another object resides in the provision of means whereby the control of the application of heat and the distribution thereof to the various parts of the apparatus are effected in a simple manner.

A further object resides in the provision of means whereby the separation of the clear juices fro-1n the residues of the various stages of evaporation is simply and readily effected.

A still further object'resides in the provision of means whereby the transfer of juices from one part of the apparatus `to another is carried out in animproved and simple manner.

Another object resides in the provision of means whereby a much larger quantity i of sugar juices can be handled economically and efiiciently in a given time than hitherto has been possible. l f

A further object resides in the provision of the particular construction and arrangement of parts which shall vhereinafter be described and claimed and shown in the, accompanying drawings. Y

This invention in general comprisesa plurality of evaporating receptacles into which f the juices are introduced successive-ly and in which the juices are subjected toa controlled and regulateddegreey of heat, whereby the impurities and foreign matter not desired in the juices may automatically separate from the juices. In this connection, a unique control of the heatV is provided whereby the direction of ow of the heat may be varied to suit the requirements of the system at any yparticular moment. The apparatus is designed so that the How of juice from one receptacle to another takes place in a natural gravitational manner and is substantially continuous, whereby a larger amount of juice can be handled in a given period of time. t

Furthermore, in certain of the evaporating receptacles, where large amounts of scum and foreign matter are separated from the cleared juice, special means are provided for the ready and simple removal of this matter, which means at the same time provides for the natural circulation of this foreign matter through the liquor, where it is no-t desired to remove the same from the receptacle, so that the various pipes which are subjected to heat may not be subjected to too intense heat. Y

The apparatus by simple modification can be designed so that the life of the receptacles is considerably lengthened, by reason of a simple variation in tl'ie` application of the heat thereto. f y

Further fea-tures of this device will be apparent from the description and claims hereinafter set forth when taken inl connection with the accompanying drawings.

The invention is illustrated in the drawings, of which- Figure l is a partial elevation of the de-v vice as viewed from the section shown by line l--l in Figure 2;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the apparatus;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section taken through part of the apparatus in line 3 3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a partial elevation of the device as viewed from the section taken on the line 4--4 of Figure; l;

Figure 5. is a vertical section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1 Figure 6 is a detail view of an evaporator and the means for removing the scum therefrom;

Figure 7 is a detail View of ano-ther part of the scum removing means; and

-Figure 8 is a sectional view of a modified form of evapora-tor receptacle.

This evaporating apparatus is of the open type and the various receptacles are subjected directly to a heating medium. The plant in general comprises a pair of heaters l. and 2, a defecator 3, a plurality of evaporators l, 5, 6, 7 vand 8, and a strike kettle 9. lVith regard `to the flow of the sugar juices throughout this system, the heaters l and 2 are disposed higher than any of the other receptacles. The defecator 3 4is disposed .at a little lower vlevel than the heaters 1 and 2; the evaporators 4, 5 and 6 are next in order of level, followed, respectively, by the evaporator 7 and then the evaporator 8 and the strike kettle S) which are on the same level. By having the various receptacles disposed in a distinct order of level, the flow of juice from one to the other in the .order of transmission through the systemcan Ibe ,readilycontrolledainloperated in a natural manner bv vthe .aid of lgravity.

The heaters 1 and 2, the defeoator and `the,evaporators 4, and G are :arranged Ain yline and stig-)ported .on a suitable masonry or .concrete base, lindicated by the numeral 10,. The e faporators 7 and 8 and thestrike kettle .9 .are supported on a suitable masonry or concrete foundation, designated `by the numeral 1.1. Within the :masonry foundation 11,beneath A,the evaporator 8 and the strike kettle Q, there is disposed a plurality of lire chambers 12 and 13 'having therein grates 14and 15. `Beneath these lire chainbers and `erates are ash pits 16 and 17. The fire .chambers and ash pit-s are provided with manholes 1S by means of which entrance can be had to the lire chambers and ash lpits in order to clean ,the same. The evaporator 8 and the strike kettle 9 are suitab y disposed in the masonry foundation 11 above the lire chambers 12 and 13, respectively. An opening 19, in the niasonry foundation 11ieonnects the lire chambersivith passages ,20 .and 21, which are in turn connected by an opening 22 in the masonry foundation With a passage in this foundation.. The -passages :20 and 21 are separated by a Wall 123 of any suitable material, preferably brick or concrete, and the inner end of `each of these passages 20 and 21 `may be opened or closedbythe operation of dampers 24 and 25 controlled by means of handles 2G and 27 on theoutside of the structure,

The reason Why tivo fire Chambers are provided, Olie beneath the evaporator 8 and the other beneath the strike kettle 9, that it may not always be desired to have a fire `beneath the strike kettle 9,; therefore, by having` a separate lire thereunder the heat nadert-he strike kettle can be regulated Without. interfering.;` With the rest of `the process and, at .the same time, only fone passagre for the heat is provided to a chimney, to be later described.

The passages 20 and 2,1 are provided With suitable manholes 28 and 29 for the .purpose ofr cleaning,` the same. By the manipulation of thodampers 24 and 25, the heat may be passedl into one or the other of the passa'es 20 and 21, so that the application of hei-tt to 'Lhe bottom of evaporator T is thereby controlled, it being desired at the time not tosubj ect #the evaporator 7 to direct heat, depending `upon ythe condition of the juice therein at any particular moment.

The opening 2 2 in the Wall of the foundation '10 leads `to a chamber '30 which extends from the ,opening 22 beneath the evaporators 4, 5 and 6. rlhe heatl comes directly in Contact with bottom portions 31 of theser receptacles, as shown in Figure '3. The passage is connected toa chamber 321beneath ithe defecator 3, in which vchamber 32 there is disposed a ybafile p late of any Snit- .able materiah such :as brick or concrete. *This baille plate 33 cle-fleets the heat ,as

through the bottom portions of the vevapora-- tors 4, 5 and 6. The other end of this yflue 35 rests in a portionof ,the 'foundatloll l0 :andopens Kinto a chamber in the centra-l polftllli of `which :there is disposed a battle vordelleotoravall 37 'of masonry. The heat,

therefore, coming from fiue 3 5 is caused to travel along ,the bottom 38 of the heaters 1 vand ,2 and out through a passage 39 in the chamber 4G into the flue 41. A suitable `damper 42 f may beprmiided in the chimney to control the draft.- The usual manhole cover 43 isprovided atthe base of the-chimney for cleaning` the Same.

The dampen 2 is controlled by a handle 44 on the exterior of the base of thezchimney 40. One end of chamber 32 is provided with a manhole cover-45 by ymeans fof which the chamber 32 and passage 30 may be cleaned. A plurality of -.step s or passageways 46. are yprovided 7whereby this manhole may be readilyi entered from the surface of the ground.

Slt `ina-y sometimesbedesired to deflect the lheat from p assingiinder thede'fecator 3 to the evaporators 4, 5 ,and 6. TO thisend, an opening 47 is provided in the lower portion oft foundation 10 to connect passage 3 0 with chamber 36. This opening 47 is controlled by a gate 48 which in turn can be regulated by `a handle 49, shown in Figure 5 Without the structure. NJhen this gate 48 is open, the heat tends to traveltherethrough directly into chamber 3 G and t o the chimney flue 41 Without ,passi-ng beneath the abovementioned receptacle.

The juices areintroduced into the heaters 1 and 2 by means of a sup-ply pipe. 50. The end ofthis supply pipe is provided in any' suitable manner kwith a strainer This pipe r5() is .swiveled so that it can be moved to introduce the juices into :either heater 1 or rlhe idea of providing tivo heaters isgthat While one is being filled the jiiices in thepother are, heating, and, at the same time, some of the impurities therein settle and others float without being disturbed by the incoming and colder juices. At the desired time the juices iiow by gravity from the heaters 1 and 2 to the defecator 3. This flow takes place through a pipe 52. The flow of the juice through this pipe is con trolled by cocks 53, `54 and 55. It will be noted that the pipe 52 enters the heaters l and 2 some distance above the bottom thereof to allow space for the impurities in the heaters l and 2 to settle. Thesey impurities may later be discharged ythrough a drain pipe 56, the flow therethrough being cont-rolled by cocks, such as 57.

When the juice in the defecator 3 has reached the desired condition, a scum forms thereon, which can beremoved by skimming with a ladle in the usual manner. Certain of the impurities will settle in the bot-tom of this defecator 3 and can be later removed by! means of a drain pippe 58, shown more clearly in Figure 4. The juicesmay then be transferred from the defecator 3 to any or all of the evaporators 4, 5 and 6. These juices flow from the defecator 3 through a pipe 59 into a pipe 60 which is connected with' each evaporator by a pipe 6l opening into the bottom of each evaporator. The passageof juice through these pipes is controlled by cocks 62, 63, 64 and 65.

The evaporators 4, 5 and 6 are of a type particularly designed for rapid evaporation. Their bottoms are `curved and at a much lower level than the bott-om of defecatorv 3, so that the juice tends to flow readily from the. defecator into the evaporators. By pro` viding a plurality of evaporators v4, 5 and 6, we can take care of la largerL amount of juice and, at the same time, divide the juice into separate receptacles, so as to more readily control the clarification of the same. As previously mentioned, the juices in evapf orators 4, 5 and 6 are subjected to heat along the bottoms of these receptacles as well as the heat passing through the fine 35 disposed within the lower portion of these receptacles. 'This design very much' increases the heating surface, so that the evaporation is particularly rapid.

The final cleaning of the juices is also rapidly accomplished in these evaporators by a special arrangement as follows: l/Vhen the scum rises in the evapo-rators 4, 5 and 6 it is pushed over thesurface with a rake into an overflow' trough 66, shown more clearly in Figure 5. The edges of evaporators 4, 5 and 6 adjacent this ytrough '66 are cut awa-y level with the edge yof the trough 66, so that the scum may more readily be moved into the trough. The impurities or scum escaping into: the trough 66 normally, during this process, are adapted to pass through an opening 67 lin the trough 66 leading to a gutter 68, whichmay be connected to any suitable receptacle. The opening 67 is controlled by a valvef69 at the will of an operator. This valve is supported and moved by means of a cha-in 70 adapted to 'pass over suitable pulleys 7l mounted on a beam 72 adjacent the' evaporators 4, 5 and 6. The other end of chain 70 is connected to a gate 73. This gate is adapted toshut off an enol portion 74 ofthe trough 66 from the rest of the trough. This portion 74 is provided with an opening connected to a pipe 75 which leads to the pipe 61 entering each evaporator.

Normally, when thescum is being removed from the surface of the juice, the valve 69 is Vopen and the gate 73 is closed. When, however, this removal has been completed, the valve 69 is closed and the gate 73 is open. Any further overflow of scum or juice into the trough 66 will return to the evaporator by means of the pipe 75. This circulation is important since it prevents the pipe 6l at the bottom of each evaporator from burning. During the removal of the scum, while the gate 73 is closed, some scum may, nevertheless, get into the portion 7 4,

lbut the amount of scum thus getting into this portion is very small compared tothe total amount removed. t i n When the juice in any or all of the evaporator 4, 5 `and 6 is of the proper consistency, it is transferred to evaporator 7 through pipe 76 controlled byA a'cock 77. In this evaporator 7 they juice is reduced to a light syrup. It is then passed into evaporator 8 by means of pipe 78 controlled by a cock 79. In this evaporator 8 it is reduced toa heavier syrup. Thereafter the juice is transferred to'a strike kettle 9 by ladles, where the proper consistency is obtained, and thereafter transferred to a cooling trough and to the.. molds. Pipe 78 and a pipe 80 are connected together and the flow therebetween is controlled by ay cock 8]., whereby these pipes may beused yas drain pipes from evaporators 7 and Pipe 8O leads to a sink hole 82.

In Figure 8 there is shown a modification of the evaporators 4, 5 and. 6. Thismodification comprises the passage of the heat inconnection `with these receptacles in one direction through a flue 83, and in the return direction through a flue 84. In this way the larger heating surface is disposed entirely within the evaporators, whereby more efficient heating results, and the bottom of the evaporators is not subjected -to direct` heat, so that the discharge pipes, such as 85, from the evaporators, may be kept out of the fire. f

It will be apparent, therefore, fromconsideration of the above description taken in connection with the drawing, that there has been provided a sugar evaporating plant in which the juices are transferred from one receptacle to another in a very simple-and eiiicient manner, involving` azminimum expenditure of time and labor. Furthermore, the flow ot heat through 'the-system is 7controlled in a decidedly rimproved manner, -vvhereby theheating voft the juices in .anyparn ticular receptacle or group of receptacles can be .regulated to a nicetw. Also, the removal oft' scum :trom the surface of the juice during` its treatment is veilec'ted in :a more ellicient manner, 4Tvhereby the .necessary .labor to vaccomplish -lthis operation is substantially reduced.

lVhat lWe claim is:

'1. A sugar evaporating .plant comp-rising anevaporator, a trough ariifanged-alongfone edge oli said 'evaporator to receive overliow therefrom, avalve .in said trough, -a gate at one end of said Atrough .to separate the end portion from the main :portionfof the "trough, means connecting the l,qa-te and .the valve, said means adapted when itop-ens Vtheva'lve tovclose'the gate, a `receptacle operably con nected With the 'openingcontrolled .by v'the valve, and a :pipe connection disposed with respect to the portion .of ithe'trough controlled by .the gate, said .pipe connecting with the bottom of the evaporator `whereby overflow received in this end of the trough -Wil'l return to the evaporator.

2. A sugar evapolating plant comprising an evaporator, an overflow :trough disposed along,` one side of said evaporator, v,means permitting` the discharge ofthe overflow into a Waste receptacle, means permitting the overflow to return to :the bottom of the evap orator thereby causing` :a circulation, and a single connection between both ofsaidmeans adapted when causing one `means to function to cause the other 4to stop functioning.

3. A sugar eva'poratine,` plant designedto effect the expeditious and convenient `handling` ot' sugar juices, which includes .a plurality .of heating receptacles, .a single .means for receiving juice from lthe .press and adaptable `to deliver it into one or the. other of said receptacles, a detecator .disposed at a level lower .than the heaters, a `.plurality ot evaporators disposed in a ,group at a level lower than the detecator, connections between the heaters` :the defecator andthe evaporators whereby .the juice Will naturally ilow from the heaters to fthe detecater and from'the deiecator to the evaporators by gravity, and means in said lconnections to control said flow whereby the juicecan Vflow from either one of the heaters to the defecator and from the defecator into any one or more :of the evarporators.

t. A sugar evaporating plant designed lto effect the expeditious and convenient handling` of sugar juices, which includes a plurality of heating receptacles, a single means for receiving juices from the press and adaptable to deliver them into one or tthe other oli said receptacles, a .defec-ator idisposed at a :level lower than the heaters, a plurality of ievaporators disposed in n group at .level lower than the Ide'leeaitor,

connections 'bet-Ween .the heaters, ythe -defecator and :the .'evaj'ioratorswhereby lthe juices will naturally fflow from the heaters to the defecator and from `the detecator .to the evaporators .by Igravity, 1n.eans in :said weonfnection vto control said flow whereby the the dctecator passingV within und aloiugfthe bottom of 'the aevap'orators and leading .to a heating chamber beneath the heater 'recep- :tacleand .thence .to :a chimney,zaWall in the heating'p'assage between the heaters and the 'evaporators to prevent the direct fioiv for heat from `the fire chamber .to beneath fthe heaters, and an adjustable gate rin said Wal-l to :permit .the flow otheat directly from the re chamber to beneath 'the heaters Whendesired.

5. A sugar :evaporating' plant designed to eii'ectrthe yexpeditious .and convenient handling` of sugar juices, rwhich includes La -plurality of heater receptacles for the raw 'juices disposedat a-common level,1a common movable discharge ipipe disposed with rela- .tion to said vheaters to discharge the raw juices into one `or the other -as de-sited, YVa ,deiecator `disposed at alower lleve'l than the heaters, connections between the heaters and 4the .defecator whereby the juices 'Will loav 'by gravity, a' plurality of evaporators disposed inra group ata lower level lthan the defeca tor, `connections 'between the defecator and the evaporators rwhereby the juices Willlliow by gravity from the detecator to lone or lmore of .the yevapora-tors, controlling means in the connections to perm-it the `juices Vto How into one or more -o'i' the evaporators as desired, another v evaporator :at la still lower level "than the :previous mentioned group and a Istill 'hirther evaporator Vfor the concentrated juices ydisposed at a still :lower level, a vfire chamber 'beneath kthe last mentioned evaporator, va heating,` chamber beneath the last previously mentioned evaporator, a horizon tal partition in said v'chamber to divide it into two heating passages 'leading from said fire chamber, means in said passages 'to con` trol Nthe iovv of 'heat through one or the other "whereby the: evaporator above said chamber can receive the direct leffect of the heat or not .as desired, a heat pas-sage Aleading ,from said 'heat `chamber bene-ath the bottom of the group 0i' evaporators andthe defecator1 a return flue from the defecator, heating chamber, Within and alongthe bottom of the evaporators, a heating chamber beneath the heaters connecting with the end of the flue, said heating chamber beneath the heaters leading to a chimney, a wall disposed between the heating chamber beneath 5 the heaters and the heating chamber beneath the group of evaporators, and a .gate in said Wall adapted when open to permit the heat to flow directly from the re chamber to the chamber beneath the heaters Without passing through the heating chambers beneath the group of evaporators and the defecator.

MARIO TERAN L.

MANUEL MARIA TERN L. 

